Companion Animals

This site has been provided as a convenience to assist with issues related to companion animals.

**Please note that the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its regulations do not apply to many companion animal problems.

Wholesale breeders, dealers, exhibitors and research labs are covered but not small retail breeders and pet shops selling only domestic pet animals. These are usually covered by local (state, county) anti-cruelty laws. If you have concerns about a facility covered under the Act, contact APHIS Animal Care.

The Guidelines are intended as a tool for shelters and communities to review animal care, identify areas that need improvement, allocate resources and implement solutions so animal welfare is optimized.

A comprehensive electronic reference for animal care information that includes over 12,000 indexed topics and over 1200 illustrations. Rapidly searchable by topic, species, specialty, disease, and keyword.